Water: In Tide and Time
by GrumpyCat503
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Ilvermony student, Bobbi Callaghan finds herself stuck in a world with a strange form of magic known as bending. Meanwhile, her twin brother, Bodie, is searching for her. Rated T for curse words.
1. Chapter 1: Ascendio

_(AN: Hey ya'll. This is my first ever crossover fanfic! Wish me luck! I would appreciate any reviews, criticism, and opinions from all of you)_

 **Chapter 1:** _ **Ascendio!**_

The hottest day of the summer was at its peak in the forest, and it seemed that almost nothing could withstand it. Birds, who were usually out chirping and singing, had seemed to vanish into their nests. Deer, who usually pranced around grazing on the sweet grass, seemed to have disappeared. Even mosquitos weren't buzzing around. The trees seemed to have withdrawn into themselves, dropping sickly yellow leaves onto the badly kept dirt path, and the sun blazed sickeningly bright, frying the only living being stupid enough to be out and about: a teenage girl, a witch.

She was a skinny, tawny-haired, gray-eyed girl, whose limbs were long and limber for her relatively short physique. Her jean shorts were old and frayed, and her T-shirt, advertising the Thunderbirds Quidditch team, was a faded navy blue. Though with heavily sunburnt cheeks, she was unfazed by the foul weather and jogged down the path, a huge white-toothed smile plastered on her face.

"Bobbi. Barbs, would you hold up a sec?" a voice shouted from behind her.

The sixteen-year-old stopped and waited for her twin brother as he jogged down the hill that lead up to their family's house. In contrast to his short, skinny, sister, he was stocky and tall with the same tawny hair as his sister but with bright blue eyes. Unlike her, he seemed to be greatly affected by the heat wave.

"Why what's wrong, Bodie?" Bobbi teased her brother, making a baby face at him. "You getting tired?"

"No, just slightly annoyed," Bodaway muttered under his breath. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Exercise," Bobbi replied. "Out of season Quidditch training."

"Bobbi, I'm a Keeper; I don't need to run."

"You'll be thanking me for all this running when you finally get a girlfriend, _Bodaway_ ," Bobbi said. She enjoyed the annoyed look that flashed across his face at the use of his full name.

"Oh shut up… _Barbara_ ," he retorted.

The siblings jogged in synchronization, jabbing elbows and throwing insults, until they reached a wide creek with the remnants of a bridge partially submerged in the muddy puddle that was once a creek.

"Well, shit," Bobbi said, biting her lip, checking her No-Maj pedometer for the distance she had run: one mile out of the four. "That must've happened during the storm last night."

"Language," Bodie chided his sister.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she pulled out her wand. " _Reparo."_

The broken bits of wood assembled itself into a bridge-like structure that looked halfway sturdy.

Bodie raised an eyebrow at his sister, took out his wand, and performed the same spell, once again: " _Reparo_."

The structure morphed into a footbridge, as good as new. Bodie walked across it, purposefully jumping up in down on the bridge to test his wandwork.

"Show off," Bobbi said, her eyebrows narrowed into a slightly jealous look. Though she knew loads of charms, she struggled in keeping consistency when casting them. Her brother, on the other hand, was adept at finding the perfect way to cast a spell.

"Half-wit," he replied to her insult.

"Troll face," she retorted.

"Dragon-dung."

"Asshat."

"Language, and _Mandrake-face_."

Bobbi's attention was pulled away from her brother's insult-contest as she noticed something glowing through the trees maybe a hundred feet away from them. She blinked twice, making sure it wasn't her imagination, but sure enough the strange glowing essence still dwindled amongst the leaves.

Maybe it was a Wendigo?

"Hey, Barbs, are you even listening to me?" Bodie was saying.

Bobbi frowned at the light once again. Her brother would steer her clear away from anything that looked remotely dangerous in the forest, so taking him with her would not be a good idea. She needed an excuse:

"Bodie, I'm going to-empty my bladder so why don't you continue on, and I'll just catch up with you later," she said quickly.

Her brother looked at her once last time, an eyebrow raised, but then rolled his eyes as continued up the hill. "Since you got all distracted with your 'bladder', I win that fight!" he yelled over his shoulder.

"In your dreams!" she shouted with a grin.

 _Now to business!_

The forest seemed to grow darker as Bobbi stepped into its depths, making the strange blue light even more enticing to look at. Wind rustled the leaves around her, and she felt as if she was drawn to the glow, like some sort of insect.

She stopped when she was only three feet away from it.

At closer inspection, Bobbi could see that the blue light was not a mischievous Wendigo at all but a strange ball of energy, swirling around. It was maybe a foot in diameter, and hovered about three feet above the ground. It didn't seem to react much to Bobbi's presence as she walked a full circle around it.

"I wonder what you are," she murmured to it.

The urge to reach out and touch the glowing ball was powerful; Bobbi was curious by nature. _It looks harmless enough,_ she convinced herself. _Besides you're a witch, not some defenseless commonplace No-Maj. You can protect yourself._

Her fingers swiftly inserted themselves into the glowing ball, and Bobbi was yanked in by some invisible force. The light shined brightly in her face, causing her to close her eyes. She felt her balance leave her, and she expected to hit the forest floor but nothing came. She kept _falling._

A sudden whip of cold air rushed against her face, forcing her to open her eyes. Below her was not the forest she was expecting, but a vast freezing ocean, littered with icebergs, small and large. There was a ship below her too, a gray metal ship with red sails, and it only got larger and larger as she continued her descent.

Counting down the time it took her to hit the water, Bobbi did in improvised "safe landing" she had developed in Quidditch practice, performing a crooked flip in the air so that she landed feet-first. Of course, the ocean was not a Quidditch field, and instead of landing safely, and unmoving, the extra momentum Bobbi had thrust into her fall caused her to sink a good ten feet underwater.

Letting out an involuntary scream as she stopped sinking, Bobbi chocked on the water entering her airways. With a last burst of energy, she felt her pocket for her wand. " _Ascendio!_ "

Water rushed through her ears around her body as Bobbi ascended to the surface, gasping for air. Her fingers felt numb, freezing, as she struggled to grip her wand and stay afloat at the same time.

Above Bobbi, the massive ship came closer, men dressed in strange red armor stood, yelling at her, throwing ropes off the side. Though she couldn't hear their exact words, she understood what they meant. After securing her wand into the waistband of her shorts, Bobbi grabbed one of the ropes and allowed herself to by hauled onto the deck.

oooOOOooo

A bright blue light shot into the Antarctic sky, visible to everything within the surrounding five kilometers, including Zuko, the banished Prince of the Fire Nation.

He stared up at the light, his golden eyes holding a mixture of grim determination and awe. His face, though graced with handsomely pleasant features, was malformed by a scar on the left side. His hairstyle, a short ponytail surrounded by a cleanly shaven head, did nothing to help with his appearance.

"Uncle! Look!" he exclaimed his Uncle Iroh behind him. "It must be the Avatar."

"Or it could just be the celestial lights," the portly old man suggested.

Zuko wanted to argue back, but it was in that moment that a high pitched scream pierced his ears. He turned around, just in time to see a human figure fall out of the sky, hitting the water with a splash. He ran to the starboard side of the ship, just in time to see a girl quickly surface to the top, arms up in a strange position. Was it just his imagination, or was the girl holding a stick in her left hand?

"Drop some ropes!" Zuko ordered his men. "Help her onboard the ship. This girl might be able to help us find the Avatar."

His soldiers did as they were told, and after a few minutes of heaving and hauling, the girl knelt down, shivering, lips blue. She wore some of the strangest clothes Zuko had ever seen: a dark blue shirt with short sleeves, pale blue pants cut at the upper thighs, and shoes that were laced up with thick white string. Her hair was a strange color: halfway between brown and gold.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked her. "Where is the Avatar?"

The girl's gray eyes stared out, unfocused. He grabbed her arm, hauling her to her feet. This seemed to snap her out of her stupor.

"Sh-shouldn't I be asking you the same th-thing?" she retorted, still shivering. "A-and w-what's the A-avatar?"

She was stalling. Most definitely.

"Answer my questions!" Zuko raised his voice. "You're just wasting my time."

"M-my name is Bobbi. And a-again: I don't know what the A-avatar is," her gaze, though muted with exhaustion and pain was strangely determined. "There was just th-that l-light and I t-touched it and I-"

Eyes drooping closed, the girl collapsed like a dead weight in Zuko's arms. Uncle Iroh helped him prop her unconscious form back up. "What do you intend on doing with her?" he asked his nephew.

"You can take her," Zuko replied, waving for a soldier to help his uncle support the girl. "Just make sure she doesn't get in my way."

He watched as his uncle and the soldier carried the girl into the lower levels of the ship, the metal door banging noisily closed behind them.

oooOOOooo

Bodaway Callaghan felt his sister's absence from the world like a knife through the heart. The twins had always possessed a powerful connection. She was still alive, he knew, but somewhere else. Another world maybe. Another time. Another dimension…

As he stood on the hill overlooking the forest, wand clenched in his right hand. He had to find her; he knew that. And he had to tell Mom and Dad.

They were going to kill him when they found out.

End.

 _Hey guys :) Thanks for reading this. I'll be posting an update soon! I'm apologize for the shortness of this chapter, I intend on making them longer in the near future. Here's just some fun O. C. information about my characters._

 _The name Barbara means "foreigner" in Greek. St. Barbara was also a protector from lightning and fire._

 _The name Bodaway means maker of fire in Cherokee. The twins names were both intended to be involved with fire (a naming seer was involved in their christening)_

 _Bobbi and Bodie both go to Ilvermony in the U. S. of A. Bobbi's house is Thunderbird, and Bodie's house is Horned Serpent. (Check out Pottermore for more information)_

 _Bobbi's wand is redwood 10 ½ inches, Jackalope horn core, with unyielding flexibility_

 _Bodie's wand is rowan 11 ¾ inches, Pacific Sea Serpent Spine core, with bendy flexibility_


	2. Chapter 2: Orange Fire and Green Flames

_I apologize deeply for not updating. This August, which was supposed to be not busy has been spent catching up with_ Psych _on Netflix, sleeping, suffering from writer's block on this story, and starting an original novel I'm writing which I'm planning on calling_ Judgement _. It's about a psychic detective, her uncle, and a psychologist who are attempting to catch a serial killer. The novel is still in its preliminary stages but I have a good five thousand words down for it as well as a good outline. I hope to publish it in a few years after I've worked out all the kinks._

 _So thanks for reading my story! Here's chapter 2. There is no Zuko POV in this chapter (I apologize to anyone who was hoping to see the story from his perspective), but don't worry he'll be in soon!_

 _Thank you BricHouze, DieforPie, and LaughingJudge for following my story, and thanks again to DieforPie for reviewing!_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_

 **Chapter 2:** Orange Fire and Green Flames

 _Ten-year-old Bobbi and her brother, Bodie, sat next to each other, squished into the large leather No-Maj swivel chair in their father's office. They watched their dad as he drew diagram on the chalkboard with his wand, young eyes wide with youthful curiosity._

" _Popquiz," Mr. Callaghan said to his children, gesturing to his finished work with a sun-tanned, callused finger, "These are the four classical elements. Can either of you remember what they are?"_

 _Bodie's hand shot up like a bullet, much to Bobbi's obvious displeasure (she stuck her tongue out at him in jealousy). "Water, earth, fire, and air!" he shouted with a grin._

" _Good job, Bo." After adjusting his rectangular shaped glasses, Mr. Callaghan ruffled his son's hair. Then, he looked down at Bobbi with a kindly smile: "Now, Barbs. Can you tell me why they are important to magic?"_

 _Pride swelled in the young witch's chest as she looked up at her father, "Yes. The four elements demonstrate balance within a witch or wizards' personality, and the more balance they have the better they are at magic. That's why, at Ilvermony and Hogwarts, they have the four houses. Each represents one of the elements, and if you get into that house, then that is the element the main one in your personality. And you have to try and balance it out with the other elements." She finished out of breath but with a smile._

" _Good job," Mr. Callaghan gave his daughter a hair ruffle much to her obvious pleasure. "Well you two seem to remember your stuff from our last tutoring session, so how about we move on to how those four elements further impact arithmancy…"_

The memory began to fade from Bobbi's mind as her eyes flickered open, looking up at a rusty metal ceiling. _Where am I?_ she wondered as she weakly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her wand poked at her stomach in its hiding place in her shirt, and her head felt worse than the time she and her brother had snuck firewhisky during Auntie Beatrice's Christmas party of 2014.

In a quick flash of memories, she remembered: the light in the forest, the ship with red sails, and the boy with the scar.

He had seemed angry at her, interrogating her like some sort of prisoner of war (which maybe she was, she had no way of telling). So why was she lying on a nicely woven mat in a warm red blanket with the smell of tea wafting through the door?

Maybe these people closely adhered to No-Maj U.N. laws.

"Oh you're awake," a kindly voice said from behind her.

Turning around, Bobbi could see portly old man stepping into the room. His gray hair was done up in a strange top knot, and he wore pale red robes. His strange amber eyes crinkled warmly as he carefully placed a tray with two steaming cups of tea front of her. "This is jasmine tea," he said, sitting down and gesturing for her have some. "I hope you like it."

Bobbi nodded vigorously, taking a large sip from the cup nearest to her. Warmth seeped through her body, and she couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. "Yes, I do. Thank you," she told the man, "and, um… Where exactly am I?"

The man studied her with his golden eyes, "You are on the ship of my nephew, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. He was the young man you spoke with earlier."

Bobbi's eyes narrowed skeptically: "The Fire Nation?" Mentally her mind was asking: _Prince?_

"Yes," the man gave her a small smile. "It is one of the three elemental countries of the world along with the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom, but I doubt that you are from any of those places if you haven't heard of the Fire Nation, much less the Avatar."

"No, I'm not," Bobbi responded to Iroh's statement, biting her lip. There it was again: that _Avatar_ thing. What _was_ the Avatar anyway? Why was it so important? And why were there only three elemental groups in this… world she supposed she should call it? Air was crucial to the balance according to her father's arithmancy research, and if the world she had any amount of sense…

Realizing that she had been rudely unresponsive for the past ten seconds, Bobbi continued to speak: "And, uh, I'm from the United States of America."

The man had never stopped studying her, even when she had zoned out. In response to her statement and without acknowledging her abrupt silence, he smiled. "America. Hmm, I have never heard of your country. I suppose we can learn from each other. Foreign cultures have always been of great interest to me."

Bobbi allowed herself to smile at his statement, finding sympathy in the man's curiosity and relief in his politeness: "Me too, sir."

"Call me Iroh," _Iroh_ returned her smile. "And you are called Bobbi, correct?"

"Yes," at that moment Bobbi's stomach decided to give a small rumble, in sync with her reply. Her face flushed red with embarrassment, "Heh heh. Sorry about that."

Iroh let out a good natured chuckle, "It's fine. Why don't you join me on the deck for lunch? I would enjoy some company while I help Prince Zuko with his training."

Bobbi grinned, "Sure."

He gave free food, free tea, and was not condescending at all; Bobbi was beginning to like Iroh.

She followed him through a few metal corridors, attempting to ignore the squish of her still wet running shoes. The sun outside shone brightly over the cold Antarctic glaciers, but despite this, the air outside was freezing cold. Bobbi could see puffs of water vapor coming out of her mouth as she exhaled, and she smiled, remembering the times when she and her brother would pretend to be dragons in the winter time.

Then she frowned because Bodie wasn't there with her.

Shaking her head, to relieve her broiling emotions, Bobbi allowed Iroh to escort her toward a small wooden table placed on the starboard side of the boat. The boy, " _Prince Zuko,"_ from before already sat in one of the small chairs, finishing a meal which smelled to Bobbi of spices and meat. He stood up with respect when he saw his uncle, but his eyes narrowed angrily when he saw her.

Bobbi forced her hand not to move toward her wand. _Relax. Relax. Relax. Relax. RELAX. Think about something other than him looking like he's going to kill you._

She forced herself to look at him objectively instead of subjectively, letting the more scholarly side of her personality shine through. _He's Asian. Male._ she thought. _Around 5'8. Sixteen-ish years of age. Strong physique. Strange gold eyes, a lighter, brighter, color than Iroh's. Burn scar on the left side of his face-_

"Zuko," Iroh said, breaking Bobbi out of her thoughts. "This young lady's name is Bobbi. Bobbi, this is my nephew, Prince Zuko."

Zuko looked down at Bobbi, eyes piercing hers. She forced herself not to look away. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Zuko," her voice wavered only slightly.

Zuko continued to glare at her for a few more seconds but didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Iroh. "I'm going to start warming up, now, Uncle."

"Of course," Iroh replied, smoothly.

Bobbi watched Zuko as he began to do some sort of exercise regiment, taking deep breaths and squatting. _He's a prince,_ she thought. _This is a warship. It's only natural for him to practice._

Iroh's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Please sit," he said motioning at an empty spot at the table.

As Bobbi picked at some of the meat with chopsticks, Iroh served himself some _more_ tea, watching her with curious amber eyes. "You don't appear to be very good at using chopsticks."

"No, where I come from we don't really use them."

"Move your finger a bit to the left, you'll be able to control your grip better if you do."

Bobbi did as she was told, and found that it was easier. "Thank you," she said.

"Now to business," Iroh said. "Because you are our guest, I will let you ask questions first. What would you like to know?"

"Current events," Bobbi stated. "What's going on now. The relationship between the four elemental countries."

"Three," Iroh corrected. "The Air Nomads were wiped out a hundred years ago."

"How?" The question flew out of her mouth like a bee from a hive, and the look on Iroh's face turned even more somber.

"The Fire Nation wiped them out to find the Avatar, and started the Hundred Year War."

For the next few minutes, Iroh spoke and Bobbi listened with Zuko's heavy breaths playing as a background. He told her of Fire Lord Sozin, his and Zuko's ancestor, the man who started the war. He told her about their fights against the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the existence of an individual known as the Avatar who was the master of all four elements. It was all very interesting, spiritual and strange, and as Bobbi listened to Iroh speak, she realized that he viewed his countries' violence as despicable. She wondered if Prince Zuko felt the same way.

Speaking of Zuko, he now stood on deck surrounded by soldiers in a fighting position, ready to train, take them on. Bobbi watched with interest. No-Maj combat had always interested her; she wondered what form of fighting the Fire Nation used.

"Remember the basics, Zuko," Iroh warned.

Zuko gave a swift nod in reply, and then as the No-Maj's said, Bobbi's mind was blown.

From Zuko's hands and feet were bursts of flame he used to disarm and attack his opponents. His movements were like a Fiendfyre, fast, passionate, furious, deadly, and in a way, beautiful.

"What is he doing?" Bobbi asked Iroh in a shocked whisper.

"That, my dear, is firebending."

oooOOOooo

After half an hour of searching in vain for his sister, Bodie decided it was a good time to head home. His parents needed to know what happened, and they could contact the Auror's office. He ran in through the back door, preparing to get his head bashed in by his mother when he found the house empty.

"Mom?" he called. "Dad?"

Nothing.

His father's coffee and his mother's book lay abandoned on the table, and a chair had been turned over in haste. Bodie slowly drew his wand out. Something wasn't right. Something-

"Bodie! You're back!"

He whipped around coming face to face with, PJ Hamilton, a fifth year, and one of his father's arithmancy summer students. She smiled at him, revealing transfigured blue teeth that matched her eccentrically colored hair.

"Hey, PJ," he said warily, taking in her dirty robes and frayed jeans. "Where're my parents?"

PJ's expression turned sour, "Um, oh. Well your mom… You see… Well, um, she had a vision- a er- prophecy."

Bodie's eyes widened, "What?! So she's in the hospital?" His mother, a seer, hadn't had a vision in years. She'd given up her position as a government augur in hopes that her vision fits would stop, but apparently they hadn't.

"Yeah, her prophecy was all ominous too," PJ was saying. "She said something about death and comets; it was pretty scary." She looked around suddenly, expression confused. "Where's Bobbi?"

"She's gone. I can't find her. I can't sense her with Legilimency either," Bodie wiped the sweat off his brow and watched the gears in his fellow Horned Serpent's head work.

"When did she disappear?" PJ asked after a few seconds of thinking.

"Half an hour ago, why?"

"Your mother's vision was triggered around that time."

The two teenager rushed frantically toward the fireplace wrestling floo powder out of a nearby pot. "St. Bea's Hospital!" they yelled throwing the powder into the fire.

Bodie and PJ disappeared in a rush of green flames.

 _So, thanks for reading. Please review and I'll give free cookies! Please let me know what you think of Bodie, Bobbi, and PJ!_


	3. Chapter 3: The Prophecy of the Masters

_Hey guys! I apologize for the short chapters! I'm trying to write an average of 4000 words eventually, but I going to make it a slow build up to that. Would you guys please consider reviewing more? I want more feedback for my story, and all it takes is a click of a button and a few sentences ;) So without further ado, here is chapter 3 of Water: In Tide and Time. Warning: my rhyming is really crappy._

 _ **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**_

 **Chapter 3: The Prophecy of the Masters**

St. Bea's Hospital was the best magical medical center on the east coast, and was conveniently located only three miles away from the Callaghan's house in Salem. This made Floo travel simple and thankfully without nausea for Bodie and PJ, who found themselves stumbling out of the smoke in the middle of the hospital lobby where several other visiting witches and wizards mingled.

After a few seconds of getting his bearings, Bodie grabbed PJ by her robes (she had become distracted with an enchanted paper airplane flying above her head) and walked up to the front desk where a middle-aged witch sat looking ridiculously bored.

"Name?" she asked the two teenagers without looking up from her paperwork. She reminded Bodie of his third year Magical History professor, strict, angry, self-righteous, and obsessed with cats (the old witch had a cat poster hanging up on the wall).

"Bodaway Callaghan and Perenelle Jane Hamilton," Bodie said officially. "We're here to see-"

"-your mother, Cassandra. Ninth floor. Room 42."

Bodie opened his mouth to give the witch a proper thanks, but she shooed him off before he could. "What are you doing standing there? Go!"

PJ smirked as they entered the elevator, "She has quite the personality doesn't she?"

It was a rhetorical question, and Bodie didn't grace it with an answer. He had more important things to think about like his missing sister and the creepy guy that was loitering in the back of the elevator with them. Bodie was pretty sure that the snake attached to the man's neck was not your common garden snake. Its head was shaped like a diamond so it was obviously poisonous, and its eyes emitted an almost hypnotic aura. It was obviously a magical creature, maybe even a baby basil-

 _Ding!_

The elevator stopped at their floor. "The Magical Psychiatric Ward," a calm feminine voice said through the loudspeakers. The doors opened, and Bodie and PJ stepped out into the hall.

The Magical Psychiatric Ward was arguably the ward with the most widespread set of patients. Cases ranged from Oblivations gone wrong, to victims of bad intentioned Legilimency, to individuals who even in the No-Maj medical textbooks were deemed certifiably insane. So, as Bodie and PJ walked down the hall they were accosted by several eccentric patients and their worried healers until they reached Room 42.

Or the outside of it at least…

The hallway outside of Room 42 was flooded with reporters, asking questions to Bodie's dad who looked like he was about to have a stroke. The head healer was attempting to clear the room pushing what seemed like an infinite number of writers and photographers out of the room, snapping at them with intense fortitude. As Bodie and PJ edged closer towards the room, the reporters took notice of them and rushed at them like flies to honey.

"Bodaway! Bodaway Callaghan!" a haughty looking newswoman with a pink quill called out to them. She was tall and blonde with a hooked nose and beady eyes like a beetle's. "I'm Tara Harrow, reporter for the American Inquiry. Could you tell me anything about your mother's prophecy? Was it about Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange's alleged lovechild? Or maybe the Sayre-Boot family?"

Bodie looked at the woman attempting to hide annoyance in his voice. He hated the press, always nosy always intruding. "I don't know; I wasn't there. I never heard the prophecy."

"What about the girl with you? She's not your sister. What's her name she looks familiar… Perenelle Hamilton daughter of Senator Hamilton? Yes, yes, yes do you know anything?" She turned her quill towards PJ expectantly.

"No," PJ scowled and Bodie couldn't help but give a small smile of amusement as her hair turned a bright orange (she was a Metamorpmagus through and through). "And even if I did I wouldn't tell _you_ anything."

With that, and a faux smile on her face, PJ shoved a path through the pesky reporters; Bodie followed in an equally aggressive fashion.

Room 42 was quiet and tranquil unlike the rowdy hallway outside. The window shades were open, revealing an enchanted scenery of the Appalachian Mountains. On the table was a bouquet of lilies. Dad and the healer stood conversing quietly over Mom's unconscious form. He turned around when he saw them, a worried expression on his face. "Good you're here." He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the entrance, clearly looking for his missing daughter: "Where's Barbara?"

"She's gone." For the second time that day, Bodie explained what had happened to Dad. Bobbi was untraceable with the human revealing spell, undetectable with Legilimency, and her footprints suddenly disappeared in a weird patch of grove. According to PJ, Bobbi's disappearance had happened in close time with their mother's prophecy, and it probably was linked to it somehow. They had come to hear it for themselves.

"Right," Dad said with a sigh. "You are going to have to sign a bunch of paperwork with me to hear it," He pulled out his wand, a thirteen-inch oaken branch, " _Accio Prophecy!_ "

A crystal ball landed in Dad's callused hand, and immediately began to speak in Mom's voice:

" _One Hundred Years after the death of his people the Master of another world will rise again,_

 _More masters he will seek to strengthen his skills and teach him how to bend._

 _The first is the helper, who pushes and pulls the ocean with the moon, she leaves her home in search of hope, and loses a mother too young, too soon._

 _The next is the fighter, whose blind eyes see the world through earth and metal, unlike her stance and rooted hands her fate is still unsettled._

 _The third, the leader, is scarred with fire and with fire he fights best, but he wanders tirelessly, a false hope in heart, searching for his honor's rest,_

 _The last is unexpected, a traveler from our world, magic she hones skillfully but naively, just a girl. She is tied to the leader; she is the yang to his yin. He may falter; he may fall, but she will intercede for him. The Master, the witch to also aid, but she must trust and remember thus:_

 _Death comes quickly to those who of fates of fire and comets rush."_

oooOOOooo

Bobbi leaned over the railing staring in fascination at the pale blue Antarctic sky. It was cloudless and clear with small gusts of wind that combed through her damp tawny hair and sent shivers down her spine. She would have found the cool Antarctic air a nice change compared to Salem's August heat if she wasn't technically a prisoner of war on a heavily guarded floating metal box, but she supposed life was life.

At the sound of solid footsteps hitting the deck, Bobbi turned around, wrapping her robe around herself for warmth and confidence. She found Zuko glaring at her with his furious golden eyes, a pair of binoculars in hand.

She let him shove past her, much to her own chagrin. She was a _Thunderbird_ ; she was supposed to be strong, not submissive! To settle her own self-deprecation, she decided that she was being cautious. As the saying went she was testing the water-

-Or the fire that could burn her and give her _a scar_.

Speaking of scars, Zuko's had to have been painful, and _intentional._ She had seen many scars during her volunteer hours at St. Bea's, and considering the intensity and accuracy of the shape of the burn, it was no mistake. It was likely inflicted in a fight, Bobbi figured, about two to three years ago. Iroh told her that Zuko was sixteen so the oldest he could have been he got it was-

"Thirteen," the horrifying calculation ran from Bobbi's mouth like water down a river. He had been _so young._

"What?" Zuko was staring at her now, giving her that angry look that made her wand hand move toward her belt.

"Thirteen," she repeated. "You couldn't have been more than thirteen when you got your scar."

"I don't want to talk about it," he said. Even though he was looking away, Bobbi could still see the sadness in his expression, the pain. She wanted to say something but didn't know what. She didn't want to be too pitying or intrusive. Just as she thought she had come up with something reasonable to say, a large boom resounded from somewhere in icy distance. A red flare shot up into the sky.

"Our trap," Zuko murmured, reflexively, he turned to Bobbi, his expression almost excited. "The Avatar must have activated it!"

"A trap? What kind?" Bobbi asked, curious. Spells were traps in the wizarding world, spells and jinxes and curses and hexes. They were all boring to learn about, the complexities behind their arithmantics too bothersome too remember. But No-Maj traps? Those complex inventions of electricity and heat and metal? Now those were interesting!

Her expression must have matched her excited curiosity because Zuko was looking at her strangely. "It was a flare on an old ship," he stated in bluntly, scowling at her (Bobbi swore that if he kept doing that a scowl would be permanently planted on his face). "Nothing special."

 _Flare- like a spark spell?_ Bobbi bit her lip to contain curiosity. She supposed she should ask about it later.

Zuko put his binoculars up to his face, watching something in the distance. Bobbi squinted leaning over the railing to try and see. If she had been among wizards, she would have requested the use of a sight potion, or a Seeking Glass. But, now she just had to rely on her natural eyeballs.

And with those natural eyeballs, she saw a small figure jumping with more altitude than humanly possible. "Woah," she muttered in shock. "That's one high jump."

"The last airbender is quite agile for his old age," Zuko said. He turned to yell at his soldiers, "Set a course for the Southern Water Tribe!

Zuko's discovery sent the whole crew sprawling all over the ship, which made Bobbi anxious. She honestly didn't see the sense in the prince's plan of action. Ramming a giant ship into the middle of an ice-wall was not a good idea. What if the ship _broke_? What if the Avatar _died_? According to Iroh, Zuko wanted to capture the last airbender, not kill him. The most important matter was fighting the Avatar, himself! If he was trained in all four elements, he would _easily_ be able to defeat Zuko and _all_ of his men: it would be like an auror fighting a bunch of first years!

All these thoughts muddled in to her head as she followed Zuko into the twisting iron hallways of the ship, stopping abruptly when he stopped at one of the doors, probably the one to his quarters. "Why are you still following me?!" he turned and faced her, expression harsh, annoyed.

Once again, Bobbi uncomfortably fiddled with her hidden wand and replied honestly to his inquiry, "Because of your plan; you're not thinking this through. There're too many variables you haven't considered, and-"

"I know how to make my _own_ plan!" Zuko hissed angrily, hands clenched into fists. He leaned in close to her, so close that she could feel the heat of his breath. Was that _smoke_ coming out of his nose?

"Okay, okay," She took a step back, putting her arms up in surrender. "I was just trying to suggest-"

He turned around and entered his room, slamming the door behind him.

Bobbi sighed, patted the space where her concealed wand was, making sure it was still there, and wandered off down the way they had come.

oooOOOooo

Zuko stared at himself in the mirror, taking the time to set the finishing adjustments to his armor around the waist. He looked strong; he looked steady, just as he was supposed to be. He was ready to capture the Avatar, to regain his honor. Victory was so close he could taste it, and only a small Water Tribe village stood in his way.

Zuko tried to smile to himself in the mirror, but couldn't. He was tired, exhausted, and to his horror, he found his mind turning back to the girl who fell out of the sky _,_ Bobbi. She had questioned him, grilled him, when he was supposed to be the one asking her questions. And, she did it all with the bluntness of a komodo-rhino but with the subtleness of a robin-lark. And her hair, _Agni_ , who had hair like that? The light hazel color- he'd only heard in about in myths and tall tales. Bobbi was strange and mysterious, and that _unsettled_ him.

Zuko clenched his fists in self-mortification, letting loose a flame that knocked his dual swords of the wall. He sighed; he would have to fix that later.

After checking the straps of his armor one last time, Zuko walked out of his room. His crew stood on the deck, awaiting orders. This included Bobbi, who stood next to Uncle, her dark gray eyes watching him with apprehension. Much to his satisfaction, she looked away when he met her gaze, her hands moving to hug her waist.

Zuko smirked, and turned his attention toward his men. "Alright," he said, clearing his throat. "We should be reaching our course at the Southern Water Tribe in about ten minutes. As I stated previously, we will break through their outer wall, with the bow of the ship, Sergeants Watanabe, Suzaku, Min, and Makato will go down to guard me while I interrogate the villagers. The rest of you will stay on the ship for a quick sail away. We will take prisoners if they fight against us, and I will fight the Avatar. Any questions?"

He meant the last part as a rhetorical question, but he gave Bobbi a quick glare anyway due to her all of her yammering earlier. The look on her face was ridiculously amusing. She was biting her lip, gray eyes narrowed at him, caught in between silence and the words that wished to come out of her mouth. Her hands had moved from hugging waist to crossing over her chest. She let out a small sigh, allowing her body to lean against the railing of the ship. "No," she murmured quietly.

"Good. Now everyone get to their stations!"

Zuko moved to his position to the bow of his ship, heart thumping wildly in his chest. He took one deep breath to calm his fidgeting hands, just as Uncle taught him.

 _I am ready._

 _(AN: Hey guys the first message was from before I started writing this chapter. Whenever I write I free write, no outline, no plans. I just write what I feel. To let you know, in this chapter there was, however,_ some _planning ahead. Originally I intended for this to include at least half of the plot from "The Avatar Returns." However, I realized that I wanted it to flow more, so I'll be putting that in the next chapter which I plan to put in within the week and a half. I thank my four followers; I love you guys, platonically of course. And, I would like you guys to share what you think of my story via reviews. I plan on having 20 reviews by Chapter 10. So, help me reach my goal guys! Free imaginary cookies to those who review ;)_


	4. Chapter 4: Lost, Found, and Lost Again

_Dear readers, I ran into a bit of writers' block for this chapter, as you can tell by the long delay. I'm really sorry about that! Thank you Die for Pie for reviewing. You are my only reviewer so far so kudos to you, and your feedback is very much appreciated._

 _ **PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THE DELAY AND PLEASE REVIEW**_

 **Chapter 4: The Avatar; Lost, Found, and Lost Again**

Bobbi watched as Zuko stormed down the ramp and into the destroyed village, easily disarming the young screaming Water Tribe warrior with a boomerang. Despite the fact that she disliked the prince's brash temper, she had to admit he was skillful in combat.

She watched his ponytail whip in the wind as he assessed the villagers faces. "Where are you hiding him?"

The villagers were scared silent, huddled together, eyes wide with fear. After about five seconds of silence, Zuko reached over, grabbing an older woman by the shoulders. Bobbi felt her eyes widen in fear for the woman. What was Zuko going to do? Use her as a hostage?

She watched as he looked around the village, gesturing to the old woman in his arms, "He should be around this age, master of all elements."

Bobbi shifted uncomfortably at the prince's awkwardness, biting her lip. She caught Iroh's eye from next her, and the older man sighed tiredly. "Diplomacy has always been… _difficult_ … for my nephew," he said. She looked him fully in his amber eyes, they now held a pitying expression.

All she could do was nod in response.

Bobbi sighed and watched as the villagers continued to cower in silent fear of Zuko. The prince, who had grown impatient with their silence, shoved the woman back toward the crowd, letting out a whip of flame in frustration. Bobbi saw the fear in the children's eyes in the crowd, and anger swelled in her chest.

He couldn't just threaten a bunch of little kids!

"Okay, that does it."

Bobbi's legs banged loudly as she stomped down the ramp, knuckles gripping her wand at her belt so hard that they were white. "Hey!" she yelled. "You can't just do that!"

Zuko turned around to glare at her, but was interrupted by the screaming Water Tribe warrior again. Zuko disarmed him _once again_ , breaking the spear with his hands and knocking the other teenager upside the head with blunt end. After the warrior fell the ground, Zuko dropped the broken weapon and turned to glare at Bobbi, edging his face dangerously close to her's.

"I told you-"

 _WHOOSH!_

A flash of orange appeared at the corner of Bobbi's eye, and a strong gust of wind threw her off balance, forcing her to careen into Zuko. The prince lost his balance as well, and the two teenagers landed next to each other in the snow.

The ice soaked Bobbi's robes and created shivers down her spine that caused her to leap to her feet with adrenaline. Zuko stood up as well, staring at something or _someone_ in front of him. Bobbi followed his gaze, and saw that he was staring at a small lithe boy around the age of twelve. The kid was oddly clad in light orange robes, his bald scalp covered in a blue arrow tattoo. His wide gray eyes narrowed as he assessed Zuko and his knuckles tightened defensively around the wooden staff in his hands. "Looking for me?" he asked.

 _He sounded so young!_

"You're the airbender?" Zuko's tone was incredulous. "You're the Avatar?"

"Aang?" a Water Tribe girl maybe a year or two younger than Bobbi asked in surprise. Her blue eyes widened with shock.

"No way," she heard someone mutter in disbelief.

Bobbi stared at _Aang_ and assessed him, staring into his deep gray eyes. There was good in him, most definitely, the pure type of good though. He was still innocent, still naïve…

Next to her, Zuko crouched into a fighting position.

"Wait, Prince Zuko," she said, taking a step in between him and Aang. "You don't have to fight him. You-"

Zuko shoved her a bit too harshly, and Bobbi fell down for the third time that day. She scowled as she attempted to push herself out of the snow, luck was apparently not with her at the moment.

A kind hand lowered its way into her vision, an offering of help. Bobbi looked up into the Water Tribe girl's eyes. She was the one who knew the Avatar's name.

For a moment, gray eyes studied blue, assessing one another, judging, wary, careful. And then Bobbi took her hand, breaking the barrier, allowing the younger woman to haul her to her feet.

"Thank you," Bobbi said, and felt obliged to introduce herself, "My name is Bobbi."

"Katara," the girl said quietly.

"It's nice to meet you," the words felt useless in Bobbi's mouth. What did nice even _mean_ in this situation?

"It's nice to meet you too," Katara echoed, stepping back to stand with the rest of her village. Her expression changed from sympathetic to almost guilty, and Bobbi understood why as she found her position next to one of the Fire Nation Guards. Fate had put them on different sides of a war.

Bobbi forced herself to turn her attention back to Zuko and Aang, watching as the young bald-headed boy edged closer and closer to the crowd of villagers, pushed back by the prince's flames. Abruptly, the boy stopped twirling his staff, standing protectively in front of the Water Tribe villagers. "If I go with you, will you leave everyone else alone?"

The silence was deafening as everyone waited for Zuko's response. After what seemed like years, the prince stepped out of his fighting stance and gave a curt nod. He sent a series of hand signals at one of the guards who stepped forward with piece of rope, tied Aang's hands behind his back, and grabbed the staff.

"No Aang don't do this!" Katara yelled as the guard began to lead the young boy up the ramp.

"Don't worry, Katara," Aang replied, voice innocently confident. "I'll be fine."

Bobbi doubted that Aang believed his own words.

Bobbi found herself following the "child arrest promenade," slowly inching her way up the ramp so she wouldn't slip on her soaked sneakers and fall down into the snow. About halfway up the ramp, however, she lost her grip on the railing, and slipped backwards, bumping against something warm and firm that moved slightly backward at the impact. Someone's chest: _Zuko's_ chest. Following a raspy grunt of frustration, the prince grabbed her around the waist and began to drag her up the ramp like a piece of luggage.

"Let me go!" Bobbi hissed, beginning to squirm.

Zuko was unfazed by her wiggling and only tightened his grip on her waist. He easily dragged her up the rest of the ramp, and after yanking Aang's staff away from the guard, he continued to drag her across the deck. He forced their way down into the cabin of the ship, pulled open a door to a large chamber, which Bobbi could only assume was his room (judging by the bed in the corner), and forcefully shoved her inside.

Bobbi's back hit the wall, and she let out a sharp cry. Her wand was dangerously jostled, loosened from her belt from the sudden movement. Before she could fix it, however, Zuko quickly strode in, slamming the door. His golden eyes were so terrifyingly fierce that she found herself looking away.

"You are not in any position to question my decisions," he whispered, stepping closer, his hot breath hitting her face. "Nor, are you in any position to disobey my orders or interfere with my mission." He leaned in, and Bobbi forced herself to look up at him again. "And if you step out of line _one more time._ I will order my soldiers to toss you overboard."

Anger rose into Bobbi's veins, overpowering any fear or doubt that was in her heart. "Then why don't you just _do it_ ," she hissed.

Her response was stupid in retrospect, and looking back on the incident, Bobbi was surprised that Zuko hadn't decided to just throw her off the ship right then and there. But he just stared at her, his expression unreadable. The silence between them hung thick in the air as silver eyes met gold, and the world seemed to stand still.

Just as the prince opened his mouth to say something, the door flew open, and a quick gust of wind entered the room along with Aang who was _riding a ball of air_. "My staff!" the young boy exclaimed, zooming the air ball forward and making a grab at where Zuko had placed the staff against the wall.

And then all hell broke loose.

Zuko immediately went on the offensive, punching flame after flame at Aang who dodged all of the prince's attacks expertly. One bout of fire the airbender redirected with a swish of air. It flew straight towards Bobbi and she dove diagonally to the metal floor dodge it, as taught in the safety instruction syllabus for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Thank Merlin, Bodie had forced her to read it!

"Sorry!" Aang yelled at her, oddly cheery in the midst of battle. His expression turned fearful as Zuko lobbed another stream of fire at him, and he created another airball and zoomed out the door. Zuko ran after him, and Bobbi was left scrambling to her feet to follow them.

Unsure of which direction Aang and Zuko ran, Bobbi ran towards the direction Zuko had dragged her in, back towards the main deck. She ascended the stairs, breath heaving, dodging scrambling Fire Nation soldiers, and emerged into the sunlight, just in time to see Aang jump off the observation deck on some sort of glider. Zuko was close behind him and jumped off as well, grabbing onto the young boy's ankle and dragging them both down onto the deck with a loud _thunk_!

Both boys rushed to their feet in fighting stances, but something stopped them both in their tracks. Zuko looked forward, expression shocked, Aang looked backwards, expression changing from scared to excited. Bobbi followed their gazes, squinting at the giant fluffy beast flying in towards the ship. Was that… a _mutant pegasus_?

"Appa!" Aang shouted with glee, staring up at the giant mass of fur flying closer and closer to them.

The exclamation caused Zuko to snap out of his surprise. The prince promptly shot a stream of fire at Aang who fell overboard into the freezing water.

"Aang! No!" a familiar voice called out from above. _Appa_ or whatever the giant beast was called had flown close enough that Bobbi could see its occupants. Katara and the Water Tribe boy from earlier stared wide eyed in horror as their ally was defeated.

Out of instinct, Bobbi ran to the side of the ship, searching for Aang to surface. Panic seized her chest as the seconds ticked by, and right when she was about to give up hope, a blue ball of light began to glow right under the water's surface. A ball of light, just like the one that brought her into this world in the first place…

Water shot upwards, and the ship gave a frightening lurch, and Bobbi found herself gripping the railing tightly to ensure she didn't fall off the ship. She stared, in fear and shock and awe, as Aang rose from the water, tattoos and eyes glowing, controlling a giant tornado made of water.

The Avatar was powerful, immensely powerful, and as he stared down, expression ethereally furious, Bobbi felt her hands tremble with fear. Aang was powerful, so powerful, and she was currently in league with the Fire Nation, _his enemies_. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," she murmured to herself, remembering the old No-Maj proverb. "So what is the friend of my enemy?"

Aang raised an arm, summoning a giant wave that towered over the ship. It came crashing down on top of the deck all at once, creating mass entropy. Chaos. As she was swept across the deck of the ship, choking on frigid salt water, Bobbi thought of the answer herself. And as her vision began to blur and her head began to throb from her collision against the railing, the thought echoed in her head in a sporadic rhythm.

 _Enemy. Enemy. Enemy. Enemy. Enemy. Enemy. Enemy-_

"Bobbi," a voice called her name, gravelly and old and soothing and calm. A hand was on her shoulder, shaking her firmly but gently. She opened her eyes and stared into a pair of kind golden ones.

"Iroh."

Opening her mouth welcomed the taste of copper on her tongue. Bobbi's nose was bleeding; her head hurt. She allowed Iroh to help her up and dizzily followed him to a large gap of the ship's railing. She looked down, swaying and saw Zuko hanging onto a thin chain. Iroh reached down and helped his nephew up by one arm. Bobbi heaved up Zuko's other arm, and the prince shakily stood to his feet, staring at something in the distance.

Bobbi turned around, wincing as her bruised neck was strained, and watched as the Avatar and his friends flew away on their giant mutant pegasus.

"Shoot them down!" Zuko yelled. An order that none of his men could follow since they were all covered in a thick layer of ice.

Taking initiative, the boy and his uncle moved in synchronization, shooting large bouts of flame straight at their target-

BOOM!

The fireballs hit the iceburg next to them, large blocks of snow began to fall, roaring louder than dragons or yetis or any terrifying beast. The bow of the ship was decimated, covered in snow and ice.

After staring at the scene for a few seconds, Bobbi patted her waist where her wand was. Still there, not broken, still hidden.

She was safe.

 _(AN: Thanks guys for reading! I'm opening up an_ _ **OC challenge**_ _now. Create your own Ilvermony OC. I'm not sure how many I'll be accepting yet, but I know I'll need a lot since I'm about to start including Bodie and PJ again in a few chapters. Just put your OC's name, gender, appearance, age, Ilvermony house, hobbies, and personality down in the reviews, and after 2-3 chapters I'll be releasing the chapter with the OC's and Ilvermony :)_


	5. Chapter 5: Un-pleasantries

_Hey guys! Here's chapter 5! It's kind of short. Once again, I had another bout of writer's block combined with illness which I deeply apologize for! Oddly enough, this story has been getting harder to write than easier. Thanks everyone for reviewing! Again: there is an OC contest that will be over when I post the next chapter! Only one person,_ Die For Pie _, has submitted an OC and she has been accepted :) Please submit your own_ _Ilvermony OC!_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_

 **Chapter 5: Un-pleasantries**

Zuko lingered in and out of sleep, heart pulsing, flipping from side to side. Visions of his mother and father and sister flitted around his head, and he felt another bout of hopelessness taking hold of his heart. He eventually found himself wide awake in the early morning, staring at the ceiling above, his breath heaving in his chest. The steady creaking of the metal ship whirred his panicked thoughts in motion, and he took his time to contemplate recent events.

Zuko felt shocked, excited, and _disappointed_. He had been so close to catching the Avatar, but the boy escaped. Then there was Bobbi and the light and his damaged ship… Zuko felt his fists clench in anger and his chest tighten. Thinking things through wasn't helping; he needed to take a walk.

The night air was frigid and made Zuko's breath appear in front of him in torrents of water vapor. He welcomed the cold, and it gave him a jolt, waking him up. After staring up at the starry early morning sky, he found his gaze swooping across the damaged deck, taking in the broken railings, the dented metal floors, and the tawny head of hair that eerily seemed to glow in the dim light…

"Get away from there! Are you an idiot?! You're going to fall overboard!" he yelled pulling Bobbi away from the side. What an _imbecile_! The area she had been standing in had the most damage in all of the ship. One wrong move and she would fall into the icy waters and kill herself! Not that _Zuko_ particularly cared if she lived or died.

"No, I won't," the Bobbi scoffed, gray eyes calm, _honest_. "The railing is right _there_."

He followed her gaze and blinked twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The railing _was_ there, as good as new without any scratches or dents.

"Well, I think it's time I got some sleep," Bobbi murmured next to him, straightening up and adjusting her robe. "Good _night_ , Prince Zuko."

He watched her leave, disappear behind the iron cabin door, anger and annoyance and confusion broiling in his chest, replacing his formerly melancholy mood.

"It's actually morning," he hissed angrily at no one in particular, and found himself marching back towards his chambers.

oooOOOooo

The sun was high in the midday sky, glaring down angrily on Bobbi's exposed neck as she marched after Zuko and Iroh down the ship's ramp. They had just docked at the nearest base to get repairs and supplies, and Bobbi was happy to leave the confines of the ship. She needed to experience more of this world to understand it. She needed to know her options and what she could do here (because Prince Zuko seemed likely to ditch her at this port anyway). And, she needed to keep surviving until someone found her.

 _If someone found her._

Bobbi was pulled from her thoughts when a tall, important-looking man strode towards them. He had dark brown hair and the most ridiculous set of sideburns Bobbi had ever seen. They came down almost to the corners of his mouth and looked even funnier with his smug smirk. The man reminded Bobbi of her friend, PJ Hamilton's, father. The man seemed to look down at everyone else, just like Senator Hamilton. He probably thought No-Majs were trash too.

"Commander Zhao what a pleasant surprise," Iroh bowed politely to the man. Zuko followed suit, a disgusted grimace firmly planted on his face. Bobbi, not one to be left behind, also gave a short bow, feeling a bit of déjà vu that was likely connected to dueling class.

"The pleasure is all mine, General Iroh," Zhao returned Iroh's pleasantries, giving a bow to them all in return. He had a lilting voice that almost _too_ polite to be genuine. "It is an _honor_ to aid the Fire Lord's family."

At the word 'honor,' Zuko stiffened next her, expression turning from sour to bitter. Bobbi noted the boy's hands clenching into fists and wondered why the word was such a trigger to him.

"May I ask who _this_ is?" Zhao changed the subject rapidly, turning his cold gaze on Bobbi. "I don't believe I remember seeing her with you on your last stop for supplies. She is a very _exotic_ addition to your crew."

Zhao's smirk widened, and Bobbi clenched her fists in response, biting the inside of her cheek in silent fury.

"Her name is Bobbi, Commander."

"An unusual name for an unusual girl," Zhao continued to ogle Bobbi, and she felt blood began to fill her mouth from biting too hard. The commander then turned to look at Iroh and Zuko, "So where exactly did you find-"

"She's not important," Zuko interrupted, tone strict, expression more defensive than usual. "We're here for repairs, and then we'll be on our way."

"Ah yes, your 'accident with the iceberg,'" Zhao looked past them towards the ship in the harbor. "That is quite a lot of damage. One would have to have sailed straight into the block of ice to do that to a ship."

"Yes we did," Zuko started. "I mean no, no we didn't, and there was-"

"The iceberg was under the water," Bobbi cut in, swallowing down the taste of iron on her tongue. She decided that Zuko was better to side with than the unsettling commander. "The helmsman didn't see it in time."

" _Of course_ ," Zhao said, eyes narrowing at her suspiciously. "Why don't you all have a drink with me? I wish to hear more of your search for the Avatar, not to mention how you came upon Bobbi."

From the corner of her eye, Bobbi could see Zuko's face redden with anger. The prince took a step forward, fists clenched, eyebrows furrowed, but Iroh gave a small stomp on his nephew's foot stopping him in his tracks.

"We would be honored to join you, Commander," Iroh said, a smile plastered on his face.

Zhao nodded, and turned, walking toward the row of large red tents. Iroh followed, and Bobbi found herself once again attempting to catch up with the prince and his uncle.

Zhao's tent was luxurious to an excess for a general. He had his own desk, his own set of quills, and along the tent walls were many awards, weapons, and other assorted fripperies. The commander had them set down on ridiculously extravagant silk cushions, and served them with a ridiculously expensive-looking tea set that made Iroh's tea set look cheap.

Even the tea tasted overly extravagant.

"What news is there on the war?" Iroh asked, taking a sip of his ginseng tea, expression neutrally polite.

Zhao smirked (which seemed to be the only expression he could make), "I'm glad you asked."

In a presentation lasting almost thirty minutes, Zhao pulled out a map and began to describe the various positions of the Fire Nation naval fleets and what strategies they were implementing in what regions of the Earth Kingdom. The information was, in a way, interesting to Bobbi, but Zhao's smug attitude and unsavory looks were enough to drive her attention away from his spectacle. She found herself oddly, studying Prince Zuko, studying him as he studied Zhao.

The prince sat in silence, eyes narrowed fiercely staring forward, hands resting on knees, watching the commander. Bobbi could not see his scar from the angle she sat, and without it, he looked like just a boy, not the angry warrior she had first witnessed just a night ago.

 _Speaking of last night…_

Bobbi groaned as her thoughts turned to her close encounter with the prince. She had been stupid enough to attempt to repair the ship on her own with the repairing charm. _It'll be quick,_ she had figured. _No one will see me._ But by Merlin was she wrong!

Prince Zuko had walked outside right when she had completed the first " _Reparo"_ , and admittedly, the young witch had been terrified, barely keeping her cool as the prince had suddenly hauled her away from the edge. If it hadn't been so dark outside, the prince would have seen her wand. If the prince had seen her wand, well there probably would have been several unpredictable consequences.

 _Unpredictable_ , that was a good word to describe the prince.

A pair of golden eyes staring back at her snapped Bobbi out of her musings. Zuko had noticed her gaze. She looked away, focusing back toward Zhao's presentation.

"… and by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se will be under our rule," the commander was saying. A smug smile appeared on his face as he turned around, assessing his guests, dark eyes cold. "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."

"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly then he is a fool," Zuko took a swig, finishing his tea, eyes fiery, defiant.

His statement surprised Bobbi, who also finished her tea, hiding her interest. His comment was articulate and not as angry as usual. Zhao also seemed slightly interested in Zuko's reaction, and took his seat back next to the prince.

"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue," the commander said nonchalantly. He abruptly changed the subject: "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?"

A large crash made Bobbi nearly drop her tea cup. She whipped around to see Iroh standing over a fallen weapons' stand.

"My fault entirely," Iroh said, apologetically, backing away from the mess. Bobbi attempted to look back at Zhao, putting on her best poker face. Zuko did the same.

"We haven't found him yet," the prince said stoically.

"Did you really expect to?" the commanders voice turned more scathing than usual. "The Avatar died a hundred years ago along with the rest of the airbenders."

This comment pushed Zuko over the edge, Bobbi watched as he avoided his gaze, expression turning guilty. The prince wasn't a good liar, clearly, and Zhao used this pressure point as an opportunity:

"Unless you've found evidence that the Avatar is alive," the commander bored his gaze into the prince's. Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"No. Nothing."

A ruffling interrupted Zhao's interrogation, and three soldiers walked in the room, all saluting Zhao. "Commander Zhao," one of the guards said. "We interrogated the prisoners as you instructed. They told us that Prince Zuko had the Avatar, and let him escape."

Bobbi sucked in a breath, biting her lip, and allowing herself to sink into her cushion.

"Now tell me again," Zhao leaned forward menacingly, "how is your search for the Avatar going?"

The Prince's answer was quick, crude, and concise, covering the simplest details of the events of the day prior. His face was flushed, with perhaps both anger and embarrassment, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"So, you let the Avatar escape?" The commander, proficiently played the part of a rational man, tone ice cold, posture relaxed. "A twelve-year-old boy at that? Your incompetency is rather shocking, but I suppose you are just a teenager. I guess I must take matters into my own hands and make a search party myself."

"But Commander Zhao," Zuko began. "I've been searching for the Avatar for two years and- "

"And you failed!" Zhao hissed. "You had your chance. It's time for someone more capable to uphold the task, and you will _not_ be getting in my way."

"Getting in your way?" all eyes turned to Bobbi who squirmed under the sudden pressure. Biting her lip, she continued. She had to get her opinion out. "Wouldn't you want Prince Zuko as your ally? I mean, he's the son of the Fire Lord, right? He could provide you with extra supplies or ships or soldiers-"

"Prince Zuko as my ally? You must be joking." Zhao laughed, placing a firm hand onto Bobbi's shoulder. Her back tensed in response, and her hand moved toward her belt.

Zhao smirked.

"Prince Zuko is an _exile_ ," he removed his hand from her shoulder, sending a leer at the prince. "Dishonored. Burned and cast out by his own father. If I needed his help-which never shall happen- I would sooner die than ask for it."

Zuko visibly bristled, and stood up, nearly knocking over the tea table in the process. Yelling with indignation, he lunged forward towards Zhao, but two of the guards grabbed him by the shoulders, aggressively pulling him back into his seat.

"Keep them here," Commander Zhao ordered his guards, exiting the tent.

After he was gone, Bobbi let out a held in breath, attempting to release the tempest of emotions swirling in her chest. "Well that was unpleasant," she murmured, taking another sip of her tea.

It was ice cold.


	6. Chapter 6: Agni Kai

_Hey guys! I'm sorry for the delay! I've been dabbling in other fandoms for the past few weeks, but don't worry, I'm still on track with this story! The OC contest is still on until next chapter which won't be posted until around two weeks from now so please provide your Ilvermony OC's!_

 _PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!_

 **Chapter 6: Agni Kai**

"Why did you interfere!?" It took Zuko only ten seconds to turn his anger on Bobbi. His eyes burned furiously into hers as he stood above her. Bobbi swore she could see smoke coming out of his nostrils.

Putting her tea cup down, Bobbi took a deep breath, preparing to stay calm. Despite her readiness, however, she could feel her patience wearing thin as anxiety-fueled adrenaline began to increase her heart rate. She decided to supply the prince with the logical answer. The draconian one. The abridged version. The half-truth. "What Zhao was saying was awful," she reasoned, biting the inside of her cheek and flexing her fingers, trying to physically release her frustrations. "I _thought_ I was helping."

"Well you weren't," Zuko hissed. "All you do is bother me and get in my way. You're no help at all, and you're ridiculously inept. You endanger yourself. You don't take orders. And you're just stupid!"

It definitely wasn't the worst thing anyone had ever said to her, nor the most offensive, but Bobbi was tired and stressed and frankly tired of the prince's verbal abuse. Her vision turned red with anger, with frustration, with magic…

There was a moment in time in which Bobbi experienced everything in slow motion. She felt her magic rush out of her, breaking free like water from a dam. It was exhilarating; it was frightening. She couldn't do anything but attempt to redirect it where it wouldn't hurt anyone, where it wouldn't destroy anything…

 _BANG!_

The teapot at the center of the table exploded outward, sending shards of shattered china everywhere. Everyone ducked down and slowly, _slowly,_ came back up. Bobbi sighed with relief: miraculously, neither Iroh or Zuko appeared to be injured.

A numb stinging in her left palm distracted her, however. She looked down, staring at the piece of porcelain protruding from her palm.

She stood up and took a deep breath, looking at the surprised prince and his uncle, "I'm sorry, er, uh- Please excuse me while I go find some bandages."

Her heart pounded in her chest to the rhythm of a repetitive mantra as she sped towards the entrance of the tent.

 _Control yourself. Control yourself. Control yourself. Control yourself…_

oooOOOooo

Bobbi sped out of the room faster than a lizard-hound. Zuko watched her leave, noticing the blood drip from the wound on her hand. He turned toward Iroh who was on the floor, picking up the pieces of the broken teapot.

"Uncle," he paused, taking a breath, trying to decide what to say first.

"Yes, Prince Zuko?" Iroh neatly placed the shards in his hand in a pile on the table.

"How did- _Why_ did the teapot explode?"

"Well, nephew," Iroh began. "Sometimes when porcelain is overheated-"

Zuko looked over at the heater underneath the teapot, noting that the flame was not lit. "Nevermind," he murmured, crouching down to scoop up a shard near his shoe, examining it closely before placing it in Iroh's pile. "Let's just clean this up."

"How helpful of you, nephew," Iroh complemented.

 _Helpful._ Zuko's thoughts turned back to Bobbi. The golden-haired girl. Who in Agni's name did she think she was?

"Right, helpful."

He sighed, bending back down to pick up another sharp piece of porcelain and throwing it into the pile.

oooOOOooo

Bobbi slammed the door of the outhouse behind her, quickly pulling out her wand and performing a locking charm. It smelled rancid inside, like urine and mold and mildew, but at least no one would be able to find her here. A small lantern lit the little chamber, and a piece of wood jutted out of the wall, acting as a bench. Bobbi sat down on it, and carefully pulled out the shard of china with her fingers.

" _Oh ow!_ " she hissed, letting a stream of air out of her nose.

More blood flowed from the cut dripping down onto the aging wood in tiny rivulets.

Bobbi held out her wand, " _Episkey_."

The cut closed completely leaving a small white scar in its place.

" _Tergeo_ ," the blood siphoned off of the wood landing on the ground and being absorbed into the dirt.

Bobbi flexed her fingers, testing the mobility of each digit. Her hand felt a bit numb, as expected, but there was nothing time wouldn't heal.

" _Ferula_." Tight bandages wrapped around her palm.

There. _All better._

Bobbi's magic was powerful today, likely fueled by two days of being unused and turbulent emotions. Bobbi closed her eyes. She shouldn't have let her magic loose like that. She could have exposed herself. She could have hurt someone. She could have-

Out of the blue, her thoughts turned to her family. What would they say? Dad would have reprimanded her about the rules. Bodie would have teased her about letting a boy get to her? And Mom? Would hug her and laugh about it and-

Bobbi let out a choking sob, burying her face in her hands. She missed her family. She wondered if they missed her. That inquiry made her cry harder.

She finished grieving about five minutes later. After quickly composing herself, she unlocked the door, walking quickly and purposefully back to the tent.

She arrived just in time to hear Zuko shout the words "Agni Kai."

oooOOOooo

The sky was blood red as the sun set in the horizon. According to Professor Barnaby, Bobbi's third year astrology teacher, a bloody sky like this meant conflict was brewing in the near future. She supposed this prediction made perfect sense considering the fact that a duel was about to take place. Or, excuse her, an _Agni Kai._

Iroh had told her what it all meant after she arrived back at the tent, taking her aside as Zuko, pumped with adrenaline, began to prepare for battle. In the Fire Nation, an Agni Kai was a duel for honor and respect. While the victor won honor, the loser lost their reputation. It was basically a cruder version of a wizarding duel, fought with flames instead of magic. And by the way Iroh insinuated it, Zuko had already fought one and lost.

It was easy to put two and two together: Zhao's references to Zuko's father, and Iroh's story. The Fire Lord had not only harmed his son, but he had purposefully fought his child in front of a whole court of people.

The thought of the action made Bobbi sick and perhaps a bit sorry for the arrogant prince. A bit. As she watched him scowl, his muscular body standing taught and strong in the light of setting sun, she could tell he didn't want pity. He didn't want tears or woe. He wanted honor. He wanted to be seen as a prince of his people again. He wanted to be loved.

A heavy gong signaled the beginning of the duel and Bobbi's heart thumped in her chest. Iroh looked over from next to her, amber eyes calming and sad at the same time. "Breathe, Bobbi. There's no purpose in worrying about what might be."

She nodded, taking in a deep breath as she turned her attention back toward the arena.

Zuko and Zhao turned to face each other, assessing each other, glaring at each other. Out of the two of them, Zhao was taking the fight less seriously. The Commander smirked at the teenage prince, overconfident, prideful, "This will be over quickly."

The two fighters rushed at each other.

Zuko was the first to attack, shooting a fireball to Zhao's left (which was dodged) and another to Zhao's right (which was also dodged). He continued this tactic, sending whips of flame toward the commander who blocked and dodged alternatively. They switched roles a few times: offense, defense; defense, offense, until it was clear that Zhao was beginning to win the upper hand.

"Come on, Zuko!" Iroh yelled as the prince began to tire. "Break his root!"

Zuko made a strike (which was dodged). He made another strike (which was blocked). And the commander sent the Prince sliding backwards with three impressive whips of fire and sent his younger opponent sprawling on his back.

Zhao aimed a fist of fire toward Zuko's head.

Bobbi's wand hand moved toward her belt.

In a flash, Zuko gave a sweep at Zhao's feet, using the older man's gravity to propel himself up. Now Zuko, in the winner's position aimed a ball at fire at Zhao.

But there was hesitation in his eyes.

" _Do it!_ " Zhao shouted angrily, for some reason goading his opponent on.

WHOOSH!

Zuko's fire scorched the ground, inches from the commander's head.

"What?" the commander hissed. "That's it? Your father raised a coward!"

"Next time you get in my way," Zuko said. "I promise I won't hold back." For the first time talking to the general, his voice was calm and even.

The prince turned around, beginning to walk away, and Bobbi's widened as she watched Commander Zhao stand, summoning a whip of flame.

"Watch out!" she yelled at the prince rushing toward him. Zuko turned his head, and gray eyes met gold ones for another moment.

Iroh lunged forward, using a hand to snuff out the commander's fire. He held onto Zhao's foot for a moment (Bobbi made a mental note that Iroh was much more powerful than he appeared) and pushed him back into the dirt. Then he placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder as the prince had begun to tense with anger.

"No, Prince Zuko," Iroh warned calmly. "Do not taint your victory."

The weathered general turned back to Zhao, amber eyes critical but calm (as usual). "So, this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat. How disgraceful. Even in his exile, my nephew is still more honorable than you."

At the corner of her eye, Bobbi could see Zuko's face light up in pleasant surprise, his lips quirked up slightly and his good eye widened considerably.

"Thanks again for the tea," Iroh was finishing his speech courteously to Zhao. "It was delicious."

Iroh turned around, coaxing his nephew to do the same. Bobbi was the last to break eye contact with the Commander and found herself wanting to say something, to tell him off, but she found herself to be too tired. She simply gave the man one last glare before following Iroh and Zuko out of the gates.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" she heard Zuko ask Iroh. His voice was quieter, calmer, and she found it to be more pleasant than when he was yelling.

"Of course," Iroh replied smoothly. "I told ginseng was my favorite. I feel so bad about the broken teapot, though. It was such a beautiful work of art. Don't you think so, Bobbi?"

He turned around now, staring at her, waiting for her answer.

"Yes, of course." She smiled walking forward toward the harbor, happy to escape Zhao's base.

* * *

 _Again, if you didn't read the message above the beginning of the chapter: more people can submit OC's. Indeed, I will prefer it that way because I need a big cast for an Ilvermony scene next chapter and I can't continue without an Ilvermony scene. If you have submitted one OC, you can submit more if you want. Just please, I need to have a well-rounded supporting cast for my characters in Ilvermony._

 _Thank you,_

 _-GrumpyCat503_


	7. An Apology

Hi guys.

As you all know, I haven't updated this fanfic in about two years, and in all honesty, I don't intend to continue with it. I feel bad about it since a lot of you guys submitted some cool OC's for the work. I've evolved as a writer and a reader within the past few years, however, and I find that this story no longer aligns with my literary philosophy. Like any book nerd, I feel like I must justify my reasons to you for abandoning this fanfic.

So, here we go:

I recently became interested in the epistemology behind literary theory and read up on _The Poetics_ , a group of essays written by the Aristotle himself on what makes a good story. _The Poetics_ dictate that we write stories for two things: _catharsis_ (emotion) and _mimesis_ (universal truth). We write to feel and give emotions to an audience and provide universal truth that an audience can identify with. Extending this to fanfiction, the fanfiction must invoke new emotions surrounding established artistic works and promote a new truth surrounding the themes, setting, and characters in the work(s). There's novelty emotion within this fanfiction piece; in your reviews, but what is the unique universal truth of _Water: In Time and Tide_? What am I trying to dictate through this piece?

I asked myself this the other day and realized I didn't have an answer to it. _Water: In Time and Tide_ started as the idea of taking an everyday not-so-battle-ready wizard or witch and plopping them into the world of Avatar. It's a cool concept, but it has no meaning.

That all being said, _Water: In Time and Tide_ is not a bad story, if I may say so myself (I'm trying to be objective here). It has its strong points: a good exposition, OC's that weren't Mary Sues, and an acceptable use of grammar and syntax. I think I was strong in characterization on this one, but a lack of a plot that doesn't latch onto the original work and a lack of meaning doomed this piece from the very beginning.

I'm not depressed about abandoning this work. This has been a lesson for me as an author to improve my writing style which I hope benefits you as readers. For you Avatar fans, feel free to follow me as I will be publishing more works which I hope to inspire more emotion and meaning within them. For Harry Potter fans, this isn't the death of the Callaghan twins. I'm saving them up as OC's for future use in fanfiction. Stay tuned to my account if you're interested in future works featuring them!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me!

GrumpyCat503

PS: If you guys have any tips on my writing style to improve on in future works, feel free to constructively criticize me in reviews!


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